Cartridge base for monoblock faucets

Abstract: The cartridge base (1) of the invention is of the type that is included in the body of a monoblock faucet, whose operating lever is tiltable upward and downward to open and close, and rotary to achieve the outflow of hot or cold water. The type of faucet to which the cartridge base of the invention is included, has the particularity that the position of the operating lever for the outflow of cold water, corresponds to the alignment in the vertical plane of the lever with regard to the pipe of the faucet. The cartridge base (1) is, also, of the type having inclined holes (8-8') to communicate the body of the faucet with the pipe, so that in accordance with the position of the lever the water will flow through one hole or the other which will correspond to hot water or to cold water. Now then, the novelty of the invention lies in the cited holes (8-8') which have a change of path between the input end thereof (8) and the output end (8'). The input end (8) may have any shape, while the output end is elongated and arched. Said holes (8-8') can be attained in a molding process to obtain the base itself (1), by simply placing a pair of punches or elements suitably in the mold which will define the sections (11) and (13) concurrent in the middle section (12) or change of path of the respective hole (8-8'.)

Description: As is expressed in the title of this specification, the present invention refers to a cartridge base for monoblock faucets, which has been conceived and made to obtain numerous noteworthy advantages with regard to other existing means for similar purposes. The cartridge base itself is provided for specific use in the type of monoblock faucet in which the operating lever or handle is aligned with the pipe of the faucet in the maximum outflow position of cold water, having the particularity that the two inclined holes with which the cartridge base normally has, for the inflow of cold water and hot water and the corresponding flow towards the pipe, are provided with a change of path between the circular input end thereof or this end with any other shape and the output end oblong and arched. Monoblock faucets include a cartridge inside of which there is a piece called the "cartridge base," as well as some disks, one of them connected to a locking rod to the corresponding operating handle or lever, so that the combination of elements between the lever and the cartridge base makes the vertical movement upward/downward of this operating lever or handle involve the opening and/or closing of the faucet, while the horizontal or transversal movement between some limits of this operating lever or handle, involves, in the opening position, the outflow of cold water, mixing of cold water - hot water and hot water, depending on the position of the transversal rotation of the lever. In this type of monoblock faucet, when the operating lever or handle is superimposed in the same vertical plane as the pipe of the facuet, the operating of the former to carry out the opening in that position to give rise to the outflow of cold water and hot water, this means that in the normal opening of the monoblock faucet, there will be an unnecessary energy expenditure upon the faucet opening in a middle position of cold water and hot water. In order to solve this problem, the applicant itself of the patent in question is in turn the owner of several utility models, among which Spanish Utility Model applications ES-U-9 202 141 and ES-U-9 203 391 can be cited. The first one claims an angular outphasing between the symmetric axis of the locking between the rod and the operating handle and the horizontal or symmetric axis of the handle itself, which is going to determine that the position of the handle and pipe facing each other in the same vertical plane, corresponding to the position of maximum outflow of cold water, solving the above cited problem, in other words, that if in said position the faucet is opened logically only cold water and not hot water will flow out as would happen in conventional monoblock faucets. ES-U-9 203 391 discloses a faucet according to the preamble of claim 1. Now then, the obtainment or making inclined straight holes in the cartridge base, turns out to be difficult and expensive, above all if said base is obtained by molding. The cartridge base object of the invention as claimed is of the type referred to in the above section, in other words, that includes the corresponding inclined holes for the inflow of cold water and hot water. Now then, the novelty of the invention lies on the fact that these holes, instead of being straight, have a bend or change of path, it being possible to obtain each one of them easily by means of two punches that, duly placed in the mold, attain the inclined and bent hole. The specific shape of each hole is such that the end corresponding to the inlet of the same, from the body of the faucet, begins being circular and then narrows as determined by an approximation of the walls corresponding to the two opposite sectors of the inside contour of the hole, whose narrowing is complemented by an arched and inclined expansion towards the opposite or outlet end, determining that the contour of the latter is oblong, in other words, narrow and following an arched parth, considerably longer than the diameter of the initial or inlet end of the hole. The expansion is determined by a slight divergence or bend of one sector and by an accentuated divergence or big slant of the opposite sector. The bent hole will always be inclined, the paths having the possibility of being straight on both sides of the corresponding bend or change of path, or else they may be arched, defining a S shape or even one with an arched path and one with a straight path, and in general any shape that meets the condition that the hole is inclined and has a bend or change of path, as well as the inlet end of the same being preferably circular though it may also be oval or of any other suitable shape, the outlet end having to be oblong, in other words, elongated, narrow and with an arched path. Obviously, the middle axis between these two inclined holes will be angularly displaced with regard to the horizontal axis of the pipe, the extend of the angular displacement being approximately equal to half the annular displacement of the handle between both end positions of the operating handle or lever, so that the axis of the handle coincides with the axis of the pipe in the maximum cold water position. In order to complete the description that is going to be made hereinafter and for the purpose of providing a better understanding of the features of the invention, the present specification is accompanied by a set of drawings on the grounds of which one will more easily understand the innovations and advantages of the cartridge base for monoblock faucets made in accordance with the object of the invention. Figure 1 shows a side raised view of the cartridge base of the invention mounted on the corresponding cartridge with the operating rod associated to the same and represented in dash lines. Figure 2 shows a bottom plan view of the cartridge base, wherein the cold water and hot water inlet holes are seen. Figure 3 is a side raised view of the cartridge base itself. Figure 4 is a top plan view of the same cartridge base, where one clearly sees the oblong and arches shapes of the outlets corresponding to the inclined holes provided for in the cartridge base. Figure 5 shows a section view corresponding to the cutting line A-A of the above figure, showing the change of path that each one of the holes provided for in the cartrdige base has. Figures 6, 7 and 8 show other section details, according to cutting lines B-B, C-C and D-D, respectively, wherein one sees how the holes provided for in the cartrdige base have their inside or outlet end oblong and arched and their outside or inlet end circular, the latter having the possibility of being oval or of any other suitable shape. In view of the commented figures, one can see how the cartridge base, generally referred to as number (1), is comprised of a circular body with an annular groove (2) where an O-ring seal (3) is located, so that this annular groove (2) defines a cup-shaped top section (4) and another bottom section that corresponds with cartridge base (1) itself and that has pivots (5) for the positioning thereof upon the respective body of the faucet, with the particularity that the cup shaped top section (4) remains located inside the body itself of the cartridge (6), from which the corresponding rod (7) emerges through which the respective operating handle or lever is mounted. Now then, the base (1) has a pair of inlet holes (8) for cold water and for hot water, holes that in their bottom end, as is clearly represented in figures 2 and 8, have a circular shape, though they can have any other suitable shape, while in their inside or outlet end with regard to the base (1) they have an oblong and arched shape, according to references (8'.) The symmetric axis (9) comprised between these two holes (8-8') is placed with an angular outphasing with regard to the horizontal axis of the handle, or in other words, with regard to the symmetric axis of the lock between the rod (7) and the handle itself, which is going to determine that in the assembly of the cartridge on the corresponding body of the faucet, the position of the operating handle corresponding to its facing vertically the pipe corresponds with the outflow position of cold water. In figure 4, one can see the outphasing, referred to as angle (10), between that which can be considered as the horizontal axis of the handle and the symmetric axis (9) of the two holes (8-8'.) As can be seen and as it has been said above, these holes that are comprised between the inlet (8) and the outlet (8'), are inclined but have a change of path which, in the embodiment shown, has a first straight section (11), a second bent or slightly arched section (12) and a final section (13), with the particularity that as of section (11) corresponding to the inlet (8) of the holes, there is, in section 12, a large slant, as well as a narrowing between the walls thereof, to determine in end section (13) corresponding to the outlet (8') an elongated, narrow and arched shape, as is clearly represented in figures 4, 6 and 7. Therefore, the cartridge base (1) has the particularity that the holes or passages comprised between the inlet (8) and the outlet (8') are holes with a change of path that is going to define, at least, three sections (11) (12) and (13), the first one of them in correspondence with inlet (8), the second as a middle one in which the change of path takes place, as well as a narrowing between two opposite walls and a elongation distance between the contrary ones, to define an end section (13) corresponding to outlet (8') that is elongated, arched and narrow, as it has just been said. The base (1) is complemented with an opening or hole (14) through which the cold water or hot water, or a mixture of both, that accedes through the holes (8) to the cartridge base (1) and flows out through the holes (8'), the flow of the water towards the corresponding outlet pipe is determined. The shape of the path of the above cited inclined holes, in other words, those determined between the inlet (8) and the outlet (8') of the cartridge base (1) can be defined by two straight sections beginning on each side of the bend, in other words, it may be the middle section (12) that is the bend and the sections (11) and (13), indicated in figure 5, may be straight. Likewise, these end sections (11) and (13) may even be arched, or else one of them straight and the other one arched, as long as there is a slant between the inlet (8) and the outlet (8'), the path between inlet (8) and path (8') may even be winding, defining a "S" shape.

Claims: Cartridge base for a monoblock faucet, the faucet comprising: a faucet body having an outlet pipe protruding therefrom, said pipe having a longitudinal axis, said faucet body having inlets for cold and hot water, respectively; a handle mounted on said faucet body, said handle having a longitudinal axis, said handle being rotatably connected to said faucet body such that it can be rotated between a first limit position corresponding to a maximum cold water position and a second limit position corresponding to a maximum hot water position, said handle being tiltably connected to said faucet body such that it can be tilted vertically between a closed flow position and an open flow position; a cartridge (6) being disposed within said faucet body, said cartridge (6) being connected to said handle such that when said handle is rotated between said first limit position and said second limit position said cartridge (6) regulates the proportion of hot and cold water that is permitted to flow into said pipe; whereby a horizonal component of the longitudinal axis of the handle is parallel with a horizontal component of the longitudinal axis of the pipe when the handle is is said maximum cold water position; whereby the cartridge base comprises: two inclined inlet through holes (8-8') for cold and hot water, respectively, each through hole having an inlet opening (8) which communicates with a corresponding hot or cold water inlet, and an outlet opening (8') which communicates with the cartridge (6) itself, said outlet openings (8') having a horizontal line of symmetry (9) passing perpendicularly to a line between the centres of said outlet openings, said line of symmetry (9) being angularly displaced with respect to the horizontal component of the longitudinal axis of the pipe, said angular displacement of said line of symmetry (9) being approximately equal to half the angular displacement of said handle between said maximum cold water position and said maximum hot water position; characterised in that each through hole (8-8') has a bend in a section (12) situated between its inlet opening (8) and its outlet opening (8'); each through hole (8-8') narrows progressively during the path from its inlet opening (8) to the section (12) of the bend, such that in said section of each through hole, there are two surfaces relatively close to each other and two sectors relatively distanced from each other, comprised between said surfaces; downstream of the section of the bend, one of said sectors situated between said surfaces has a big slant towards the outlet opening (8'), such that the outlet opening (8') of each through hole (8-8') has an elongated, narrow and arched shape. Cartridge base according to claim 1, wherein each through hole (8-8') comprises two straight sections (11,13) separated by the section of the bend (12). Cartridge base according to claim 1, wherein each through hole (8-8') defines an arched path. Cartridge base according to claim 1, wherein each through hole (8-8') comprises an arched section on one side of the bend and a straight section on the other side of the bend. Cartridge base according to claim 1, wherein each through hole (8-8') defines an S-shaped path.

Inventors: TRES CASAS DANIEL, TRES CASAS, DANIEL
Applicants: CASPRO SA, CASPRO, S.A.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: F16K11
IPC codes: F16K11